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September 8, 2024 (TIFF)
September 27, 2024 (United States)
The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction survival film based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was written and directed by Chris Sanders, produced by Jeff Hermann, and executive-produced by Sanders' longtime collaborative partner Dean DeBlois. It stars Lupita Nyong'o as Roz, the title character, alongside an ensemble voice cast including Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.
DreamWorks announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot in September 2023, with Sanders, Hermann, and DeBlois attached. Sanders took inspiration from Disney animated classic films and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as it was reported in October 2023 that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024. Kris Bowers composed the film's score, marking his first score for an animated film.
The Wild Robot premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 27, 2024. The film received critical acclaim for Sanders' direction and writing, the film's animation style, stunning visuals, themes, musical score and voice performances (particularly Nyong'o).
Storyline[]
In a future Earth, a Universal Dynamics cargo ship runs aground on an uninhabited island. The only one of the ROZZUM utilitarian robots still whole, unit 7134, who calls herself "Roz" for short, is activated by the local wildlife, and after repeated misunderstandings between it and her, Roz decides to enter a learning safe mode observing nature, emerging days later fluent in all animal language. Roz decides to leave for having no assignment, but after a failed attempt to contact her manufacturer, Roz accidentally destroys a goose nest, aside from a single egg. Roz stops a fox from eating the egg and it then hatches, and the gosling imprints itself onto Roz, eventually breaking the robot's communication module. A discussion with Pinktail, a mother opossum, ends up setting up a mission on Roz regarding raising the gosling before it needs to leave the island for its winter migration. Roz asks the help of the fox, Fink, and a conversation between them while building a shelter leads the bird to be named Brightbill.
Once Brightbill has grown, Roz tries teaching him to swim, and Brightbill meets other geese, being bullied for his short stature and awkward social manners. Once Brightbill discovers Roz caused the death of his family, making him grow alone and unadjusted, he gets resentful and decides to get away from her. After learning more about her purpose and getting another communication module from the wreckage containing the destroyed ROZZUM robots, the elder goose Longneck encourages Roz to make Brightbill learn to fly. Once he is capable and flies away with the other geese, Roz is unnerved at how she challenged her programming, became attached to the bird and is sad that he left. She activates her communication module, but as soon as the beacon shows up at the Universal Dynamics headquarters Roz shuts it off again.
A thunderstorm makes the geese hide in a futuristic greenhouse, where ROZZUM robots mistake the birds for pests and attack. Longneck notices that Brightbill's familiarity with Roz makes him the only goose not panicking and asks him to lead the flock away from the greenhouse, sacrificing himself in the process. Roz awakens in her shelter and finds Fink, who tells her he is hiding from a severe snowstorm. Roz decides to rescue all the animals and bring them to the shelter, depleting her batteries as a result. Putting predators and prey together creates a chaotic environment before Fink reminds them that they would be dead from the cold if not for Roz's efforts, and Roz asks for a truce before she shuts down, to which the animals comply.
Roz reawakens months later, watching from a distance the geese return, hailing Brightbill as a hero. She then sees a Universal Dynamics dropship arrive, out of which comes the robot Vontra, who says that Roz has been highly sought ever since the shortened beacon, and the headquarters wants to bring her back so the changes in her programming can be studied. Roz reluctantly goes along before Fink arrives and says Brightbill wants to see Roz, making her leave. Adamant in bringing Roz back, Vontra sets an army of robots after her, which the animals proceed to destroy. Vontra makes the destroyed robots self-destruct to distract the animals, igniting a massive forest fire, while she drags Roz onto the ship with a tractor beam. While Brightbill leads the geese into attacking the ship to destroy Vontra and rescue Roz, the other animals band together to put out the fire. Afterwards, seeing all the damage and knowing Universal Dynamics would keep sending robots after her, Roz decides it is better if she leaves. Sometime later, Roz is working at the greenhouse and seemingly restored to factory settings but shows her emotional side again as Brightbill visits.
Also See[]
- The Wild Robot (2024) (Trailers)
- The Wild Robot (2024) (TV Spots)